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Thursday, March 19, 2015

AZ Students decry state cuts for community colleges

Students demonstrate against cuts to education funding on March 5, 2015,
outside the State Capitol. (Cronkite News Photo by Samantha Incorvaia)By SAMANTHA INCORVAIACronkite NewsPHOENIX – When Arizona State University cost too much for Xochitl Rayas, she said Phoenix College was an ideal alternative.

With the fiscal 2016 state budget cutting all funding for Maricopa
Community Colleges, however, Rayas said she’s worried about what will
happen to the quality of her education. Chief among her fears: the
possibility of staff cuts.

“I’m scared that there’s going to be people without jobs, teachers I
won’t see or staff members that will be gone forever,” she said.

A 19-year-old sophomore, Rayas joined
other students recently at a protest against funding cuts – from $15.6
million to nothing in fiscal 2016 – for community colleges in Maricopa
and Pima counties.

Cuts of $99 million to public universities have received most of the
headlines since Ducey signed the $9.1 billion budget into law last week.
But community college officials say their hit is also concerning
because they already run lean.

Rufus Glasper, chancellor of the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges,
issued a statement March 11 saying the budget effectively ends state
funding for a system that contributes billions to the economy each year.

“This withdrawal in state investment in community college education
to Maricopa forces very difficult conversations about our ability to
serve the growing education needs of our community and to contribute to
the economic development goals of our state,” he wrote. “The fact is
that without adequate funding from the state, tuition and property
taxes, we will face decisions about how many students we can educate and
prepare to fill quality jobs.”

He pointed to an Examination Management Services Inc. report
released the same day as Ducey’s budget proposal that found Maricopa
Community Colleges alumni, employees and students contribute $7.3
billion annually to the county.

According to the Maricopa Community Colleges website, more than
265,000 students each year take credit and non-credit courses and the
system employs nearly 10,000 people, about 5,200 of them adjunct
faculty. The general fund budget for this school year stands at $774
million.

Andrew Tucker, communications manager for Maricopa Community
Colleges, noted that state aid to the system had already dropped from
$57 million in fiscal 2007 to $8.8 million during the fiscal year ending
June 30.

“I think while we’re not happy to see the direction this is going in, we recognize that the budget has to be balanced,” he said.

Tucker said the district has been looking over the last for years for
new revenue streams to supplement tuition, property tax revenue and
state aid. That includes establishing a corporate college that addresses
the training needs of area businesses.

Facing the loss of $6.8 million in state funding, the Pima Community
College Board of Governors approved a proposal last week to raise
in-state tuition by $5 per credit hour to $75.50 for the upcoming school
year.Ducey’s plan would have also cut from Pinal County’s community
colleges. But lawmakers opted to restore $2 million to the system’s
state funding.

Daniel Scarpinato, the governor’s deputy chief of staff for
communications, said community colleges should encourage students to not
worry about their education changing.

He said that the cuts to Maricopa and Pima were made because the
governor’s priority was shielding community colleges in more rural
areas.

“We’re protecting rural community colleges from reduction,” he said. “The threats are small.”Scarpinato also pointed to the projected $1.5 billion deficit facing
state leaders and said the new budget is fiscally responsible.

“He ran on a clear mission to balance the budget,” he said. “He’s fulfilling his promise.”

BY SYSTEM

Maricopa Community Colleges:
• Current state funding: $8.8 million
• Current general fund budget: $774 million

Pima Community College:
• Current state funding: $6.8 million
• Current general fund budget: $170 million

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